Transfer device for paper winders



Aug. 18, 1970- HQHUGHES, JR 3,524,603

TRANSFER DEVICE FOR PAPER WINDERS Filed Aug. 26, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. #oemvo yuamag/e.

Aug. 18, 1970 H. HUGHES, JR 5 5 TRANSFER DEVICE fibi PAPER WINDERS F iled Aug. 26, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet a c I ig .F/G. 9

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1 /027070 #UG /E$,JE. I WM; 0 13 United States Patent 3,524,603 TRANSFER DEVICE FOR PAPER WINDERS Horatio Hughes, Jr., Charleston, S.C., assignor to Westvaco Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 755,193 Int. Cl. B65h 17/08 US. Cl. 242-65 18 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improvement for winders at the dry end of a paper machine for making heavyweight papers such as linerboard, to be used in the tail method of transferrng continuously oncoming paper onto an empty reel spool, comprising a tapered reel spool and means for equalizing the peripheral speed of the narrowest portion of thetapered reel spool with the speed of the paper.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improved means for winding relatively wide and thick webs which are being delivered from a continuous manufacturing operation onto a winding roll. It especially relates to winding devices at the dry end of a heavyweight paper or linerboard machine and particularly relates to winding reels of the surface drive type. It involves the sequence of operations for beginning the winding of a roll of heavyweight paper or linerboard in the tail method of transferring continuously oncoming paper onto an empty reel spool.

A winding reel having surface or peripheral drive winds paper, traveling at hundreds of feet per minute with a width of twenty feet or more, into successive reels that may be six feet in diameter and weigh several tons, without interrupting the onward movement of the paper sheet. The reel rolls that are produced are generally tight and uniform but often are wrinkled throughout the initial one or two radial inches of thickness thereof becauseof uneven tension in the paper. This invention is directed toward avoiding this initial wrinkling.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Commonly used winding reels, based on the disclosure in US. Pats. 1,248,542 and 2,176,198, include a reel driving drum that is mechanically driven, and a parallel freely rotatable reel spool. When the reel spool is moved into peripheral contact with the moving sheet of paper which is passing over the reel driving drum, friction along the line of contact soon drives both spool and drum at the same surface speed. At each extremity of the reel spool, its shaft turns on ball bearings within a pair of bearing housings which fit within upwardly open primary ways. The empty rotating reel spool initially rests in the primary way on top of the reel driving drum and is held in position by adjustable cams, the bottom of the empty reel spool resting slightly above the surface of the reel driving drum. Conventional cams have flat top edges which are adjustably attached to the carriage of the reel driving drum so that they project above the top periphery of the reel driving drum and are displaced, with respect to the center of the reel driving drum, in the direction of the paper machine.

The primary ways are elongated arms at each extremity of the reel drum and are pivotable from supports having a common axis with the axis of the reel driving 'ice away from the reel driving drum, and the bearing housings on the reel spool shaft move past the ends of the shorter arms of the primary way to rest slideably upon a supporting track. Pressure is exerted against the bearing housings to selectively maintain contact between reel driving drum and paper on the reel spool to prevent chatter therebetween and to regulate tightness of the wound paper.

When the primary ways no longer bracket the bearing housings on each extremity of the reel spool, they are pivoted back to a generally vertical position. When the roll is nearly fully wound, an empty reel spool is again placed in position on top of the reel driving drum with extremities thereof resting in the primary Ways. The oncoming sheet from the paper machine continues to pass between the empty reel spool and the reel driving drum and downwardly along the drums periphery (on the far side of the drum relative to the paper machine) to the underside of the nearly completed roll. When the large roll is of sufiicient weight, the moving web must be transferred to the empty reel spool.

For linerboard and for heavyweight papers, the tail transfer method is used. In carrying out this transfer method, a narrow strip or tail is cut along one edge of the paper sheet at a position within the dry end of the paper machine. After breaking this tail, the terminus is wound upwardly around the reel spool. The tail progressively widens until the full 'width of the paper sheet is wound upon the reel spool. There is a difference in thickness of the paper roll that is caused by the initial circular build-up by the tail and the spiral build-up by the widening area behind it. As a result, paper on the end of the reel spool having the tail wrapped therearound has a slightly greater diameter than the other end and consequently is pulled slightly faster. which means a sheet that is taut on one side is slack on the other side as it approaches the winder resulting a paper roll that is badly wrinkled during its first inch or so of radial thickness. In order to utilize the natural machine-direction stretch of the paper, the operator usually maintains maximum tension between the calendar stack, at the end of the paper machine, and the winder, but this practice causes frequent breaks and merely minimizes the wrinkling problem Without overcoming it. This wrinkled paper must be repulped after rewinding and made again into paper in hundreds of paper and linerboard mills, causing a loss amounting to one-half of one percent or more of total production of these grades.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of this invention is to provide an improved transfer device for paper winders whereby reel rolls that are produced are uniform from the reel spool outwards.

Another object is to provide a special reel spool, having a wide part and a narrow part, upon which a uniform paper roll can be wound.

An additional object, for winding reels of the surfacedrive type, is to provide a means for bringing the narrow part of the special reel spool into peripheral contact with the reel driving drum while preventing peripheral contact of the wide part therewith, whereby the peripheral speed of the narrow part equals the oncoming speed of the paper sheet.

This invention comprises: (a) a reel spool having a shell with suflicient difference in diameter between extremities thereof to compensate for the difference in thickness caused by the circular build-up by the tail and for the spiral build-up by the widening area behind it, whereby the total diameter of the reel spool after the tail and the triangular section have been wound therearound is approximately uniform between extremities thereof, and (b) a speed control means for equalizing 3 the peripheral speed of the narrowest portion of the reel spool with the speed of the oncoming paper from the paper machine.

Those objectives are attained by use of a specially constructed reel spool of which one part has a greater diameter than the other part, and by special means for selectively bringing the reel driving drum and the special reel spool into initial rotating contact at the narrow part only of the reel spool. The shell of this reel spool is most conveniently constructed with a smoothly conical tapered surface differing only slightly in diameter, such as 1.7%, between extremities thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which the amount of taper for the tapered reel spool is greatly exaggerated. The side of the paper winder having the narrow part thereof is conventionally designated as the front side, and the other side of the paper winder is conventionally designated as the back side. The paper machine is tended from the front side, and the tail-cutting operation begins along this side.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic top view of the dry end of a paper machine and of a paper winder of the surface-drive type having the tapered reel spool of this invention when the axes of tapered reel spool and reel driving drum are in approximate vertical alignment.

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the tapered reel spool and reel driving drum in vertical alignment as the reel spool rests upon came, looking from the paper machine in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 22 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation of the paper winder, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the paper winder, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 4-4 in FIG. 1 toward the wide part of the tapered reel spool while a jumbo roll is building up and after the primary ways have been pivoted toward the paper machine into an upright position.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of one extremity of a typical tapered reel spool, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 5-5 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a partial side elevation of the paper winder which shows the reel driving drum, primary ways, and tapered reel spool, looking toward the narrow part of the tapered reel spool just after it has been placed within the primary ways.

FIG. 7 is a partial side elevation of the paper winder which shows the reel driving drum, primary ways, and tapered reel spool, looking toward the wide part of the tapered reel spool just after it has been placed within the primary ways.

FIG. 8 is a partial side elevation of the paper winder which shows the reel driving durm, primary ways, and tapered reel spool, looking toward the wide part of the tapered reel spool in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 8--8 in FIG. 1, after rotation of the primary ways has begun and while the reel driving drum and tapered reel spool are in approximate vertical alignment and peripherl contact.

FIG. 9 is a detail elevation of the parallel-periphery cam of this invention, looking toward the back side of the winder from the outside thereof.

FIG. 10 is a detail elevation of a converging-periphery cam of the prior art, looking toward the front side of the winder from the outside thereof.

The dry end 11 of a typical paper machine is aligned with a paper winder 12 which receives the continuously oncoming sheet 70 of finished paper, moving in direction 14, and winds the paper into jumbo rolls 66 on a tapered reel spool 55b. The winder 12 has suitable drive machinery and a frame 16 which supports primary ways 25 and the secondary ways. Primary ways 25 comprise primary cylinders 31, narrow-part cam 37, wide-part cam 38, and reel driving drum 50. The secondary ways comprise inclined tracks 20, secondary cylinders 17, cylinder struts 18, and cylinder rollers 19, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. In general, primary ways 25 accept an empty tapered reel spool 55a, lower it into peripheral contact with reel driving drum 50, revolve it (while in rotating contact with reel driving drum 50) toward the secondary ways, and deposit it onto inclined tracks 20.

The primary ways 25 also comprise elongated arms, having open-ended yokes at one end, which are pivotably attached to frame 16 at the center of reel driving drum 50. Each yoke is formed by a short arm 26 and a long arm 27 which are longitudinally spaced apart, i.e., in the direction of travel of sheet 70, by approximately the diameter of bearing housings 61 which fit therebetween.

Each arm 26, 27 is made of a pair of fingers which are transversely spaced apart so that they conicide with the peripheries of the dual bearing housings 61 on each extremity of a reel spool. A carriage, which is not visible in the drawings, moves slideably in the space between the fingers of long arm 27. As shown in FIG. 4, a support ear 28, having an upwardly concave surface, is attached to the lower part of the carriage, and a press ear 29, having a downwardly concave surface, is attached to the upper part of the carriage.

A double-acting primary cylinder 31, which functions as a positioning cylinder for a tapered reel spool 55a, is also attached to the carriage, opposite to ears 28, 29. When primary ways 25 are generally vertical, as shown in FIGS. 4, 6, 7, and 8, this cylinder 31 moves up and down on its piston rod 32. Primary cylinder 31 is actuated by a source of hydraulic power which is not shown in the drawings.

A reel driving drum 50 is rotatably attached to frame 16 at the pivot of primary ways 25. As shown in FIG. 1, a winder instrument panel 13 may conveniently be located on the front or tending side of the paper machine.

As shown in FIG. 5, a typical tapered reel spool 55 comprises a tapered shell 58, an end plug 59 which is snugly fitted into each end opening thereof, a journal 60, and a bearing housing which is attached to journal 60 by antifriction bearings. Shell 58 is herein defined as being divided into narrow part 56 and wide part 57. The narrowest portion of narrow part 56, around which tail 72 is vwapped in the tail transfer method, is herein termed contact band 74, as shown in FIG. 5. The bearing housing is shaped as shown in axial cross-section in FIG. 5. This bearing housing comprises a pair of enlarged arm collars 61 whose diameter equals the longitudinal spacing between arms 26, 27 of primary ways 25. Between each pair of arm collars 61 is a recessed ear collar 62 which successively accommodates each support ear 28 and press ear 29. Outwardly of each outer arm collar 61 is a cam collar 63 of smaller diameter. When an empty reel spool 55a, held by support ears 28, is lowered by piston rod 32, each cam collar 63 rests upon a top edge 39, of a cam 37, 38, respectively.

Adjacent to each extremity of drum and generally offset to one side thereof toward the paper machine, an upright cam support 35 is attached to frame 16, as shown in FIGS. 4, 6, 7, and 8. A cam means is adjustably attached to the top of each cam support 35 so that it projects thereabove. As shown in FIG. 10, a conventional cam means of the prior art, generally formed from a single steel bar, may be described as comprising a cam base 36, which is adjustably attached to cam support 35, and an upper part, cam 37, upon which a reel spool is initially supported at each extremity. This conventional cam, which requires peripherally intersecting contact, is suitable for use with narrow part 56 of the tapered reel spool of this invention. Cam 37 has a top edge 39 which may slope downwardly toward the secondary ways or which may be horizontal, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 10.

It is important, however, that the position and direction of this top edge 39 intersect the rolling path of travel 46N which is followed by the lowermost periphery of cam collar 63 as primary ways 25 pivot, assuming that no paper is wrapped around narrow part 56 of tapered reel spool 55a.

The top edge 40 of wide-part cam 38 defines a generally circular path which is parallel to, and slightly above, the rolling path of travel 46W which cam collar 63 would follow during pivoting of primary ways 25 if the surface of wide part 57 were able to contact the surface of reel driving drum 50 and if no paper were wrapped around wide part 57. The distance between top edge 40 and rolling path 46W need merely be equal to a few thicknesses of heavyweight paper or linerboard to be wound; a distance such as one-sixth of an inch is suitable.

OPERATION OF INVENTION As jumbo roll 66 on tapered reel spool 55b nears its maximum size, an empty reel spool 55a is lowered into place on primary ways 25 where it is supported at each extremity by support cars 28. Narrow-part cam 37 and wide-part cam 38 are initially contacted by the respective cam collars 63 at positions A when the operator at control panel 13 retracts primary cylinders 31 on piston rods 32. The primary cylinders 31 continue to lower until press cars 29 are firmly in contact with the upper peripheries of the ear collars 62. I

As is conventional in winder operation, primary ways 25 are then pivoted toward the secondary ways just before the paper machine operator forms tail 72 by jabbing the slitting knife into sheet 70 about six inches from the front side thereof. As primary ways 25 pivot, cam collars 63 roll along top edges 39, 40 while sheet 70 passes rapidly over the top of reel driving drum 50. When a short length of the surface of narrow part 56 of tapered reel spool 55a, herein defined as band 74 (FIG. 5), contacts the moving paper sheet 70, which is in close contact with the surface of reel driving drum 50, cam collars 63 are at point B where the rolling path of travel 46N intersects top edge 39. Immediately before contact, tapered reel spool 55a is preferably rotating at the same surface speed as paper sheet 70 in order to avoid tearing thereof. As soon as possible; the operator then stops the pivoting movement of primary ways 25, so that cam collars 63 come to rest at an advanced position, such as at (FIGS. 9 and 10) C, with narrow part 56 of reel spool 55a being supported by reel driving drum 50 and wide part 57 being still supported by cam collar 63 resting on top edge 40.

Approximately simultaneously with initiation of contact, tail 72 begins to pass through the nip between band 74 and reel driving drum 50. With routine dexterity, the operator then quickly breaks tail 72 and wraps the terminus thereof around band 74 to form ring 73. Narrow part 56 immediately rises from the top surface of drum 50 along rolling path 47N. Wide part 57 is still separated from sheet 70 and drum 50 by the distance between top edge 40 and rolling path 46W, as shown in FIG. 9 and in phantom in FIG. 8. Primary ways 25 are still stationary.

Immediately after breaking tail 72 and forming ring 73, the slitting knife is then sent across sheet 70, forming the succeeding triangular section 71 which widens behind tail 72. Substantially simultaneously, the operator at instrument panel 13 causes primary ways 25 to resume pivoting toward the secondary ways, as their triangular section 71 begins to reach tapered reel spool 55a and wrap spirally therearound.

The gap between top edge 40 of cam 38 and rolling path of travel 46W corresponding to the distance between wide part 57 and driving drum 50 which is clearly visible in FIG. 8, is quickly bridged so that the lowermost periphery of cam collar 63 at the back side is lifted above cam 38 and follows rolling 48W, path assuming that wide part 57 is sufiiciently wrapped with the full width of sheet when pivoting of primary ways 25 is resumed. At the same time, the lowermost periphery of cam collar 63 at the front side is following rolling path 48N.

Assuming that the combined times required for slitting sheet 70, forming ring 73, widening tail 72 to form triangular area 71, and resuming the pivoting of primary ways 25 equals the elapsed time for which tapered reel spool 55a is designed, rolling paths 48N and 48W are identically related to the center of reel driving drum 50, and the elevation of each cam collar 63 above the periphery of drum 50 is identical at any selected time. In consequence, the tension on sheet 70 is uniform from side to side, and the sheet is wrapped without uneven stretching and without wrinkles.

When the tapered reel spool 55a, with a layer of paper building therearound, reaches the secondary ways and comes to rest against inclined tracks 20, press cars 29, under control of primary cylinders 31, continue to keep the growing paper roll tightly pressed against the periphery of reel driving drum 50 until arm collars 61 are beyond the tips of short arms 26. Spool 55a is then redesignated as spool 55b. At this point, primary ways 25 are again pivoted back by the operator into the substantially upright position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 while cylinder rollers 19 press against arm collars 61, continuing to ensure firm contact with reel driving drum 50 and building of a hard jumbo roll 66, as shown in FIG. 4.

Variations in production speeds for the paper machine and in thicknesses of heavyweight papers and linerboard could require differing tapers for the tapered reel spool of this invention. However, if a selectively variable speed drive is used for operating the automatic tail cutter, a single selected taper can be used for the tapered reel spool of this invention, but the heavier drying loads of heavyweight papers generally necessitate compensatory reduction in paper machine running speeds.

For example, 42-pound and 69-pound kraft paper can be wound on a single tapered reel spool having an approximate diameter of 18 inches and a difference between diameters at shell extremities of 0.30", as tabulated below:

The automatic tail cutter need be varied merely about 5% to obtain precise adjustment to these paper grades. customarily, operators make no change for this slight difference. Using a single design for all tapered reel spools, the ideal traversing speeds for each paper grade can be similarly calculated.

If a tapered reel spool of this invention is operated without a means for causing the narrow end only to make initial rolling contact with the surface of reel driving drum 50, the rotational speed of tapered reel spool 55a will be about equal to the speed of the mid-point thereof so that shear forces exist in the roll interfaces along parts 56, 57. At this mid-point, there is a zone of neutral shear while throughout wide part 57 there exists a negative shear, with respect to spool 55a, caused by the surface of reel driving drum 50 having less speed than any point along wide part 57, and throughout narrow part 56 there exists positive shear caused by the surface of reel driving cslgum 50 having more speed than any along narrow part When an operator inserts the slitting knife in paper sheet 70 to form tail '72 under these conditions of negative and positive shear, tail 72 successfully passes through the nip at contact band 74, but a bubble is created on the incoming side. When the operator attempts to wrap tail 72 therearound to form ring 73, this bubble throws tail 72 outwards. It is difiicult to obtain a successful start even with exercise of great skill. It is the intent of this invention to fix this zone of neutral shear at band 74 where it coincides with the position of tail 72, but locating band 74 well within narrow part 56, such as one fourth of the length of spool 55a from the narrow extremity thereof, reduces the shear forces to tolerable magnitudes.

Any means of bringing only narrow part 56, and particularly band 74, into initial rotating contact with the surface of drum 50 may be used with the tapered reel spool of my invention. For example, with normal converging periphery cams in use at each extremity of spool 55a, primary cylinder 31 at the back side can be pressurized sufficiently less than primary cylinder 31 at the front side so that linear contact pressure along narrow part 56 is significantly greater than along wide part 57, and maximum pressure is approximately at band 74. Thus the rotating speed of tapered reel spool 55a is controlled by the diameter of this narrow extremity where tail 72 is introduced; no shear forces are created at this position, and hence tail 72 can be inserted into the nip without difficulty caused by formation of a bubble. After triangular area 71 has widened into sheet 70 and covered the entire tapered reel spool 55a, pressure in the two primary cylinders 31 can be equalized by the operator.

Alternatively, while equal pressure is maintained in both primary cylinders 31, and with both cams of con verging-periphery type, narrow-part cam 37 can be fitted with a resilient top edge 39, or the cam base 36 which is located at the front side can be resiliently attached to its cam support 35, whereby narrow part 56 is brought more firmly than wide part 57 into rotating contact with the surface of drum 50, with moving sheet 70 interposed therebetween, and maximum pressure is exerted at band 74, thus locating the zone of neutral shear along band 74 so that tail 72 can be inserted into the nip without difiiculty because of bubble formation.

As another example, which may be used with a con-' ventional cam 37 supporting each extremity of spool 55a, a method for bringing narrow part 56, and particularly band 74, into surface contact with drum 50, is: (a) pivot primary ways 25 farther toward dry end 11 of the paper machine than is customarily done; (b) with tapered reel spool 55a lowered onto primary ways 25 and closely adjacent to drum 50, move both cam supports 35 farther toward dry end 11 (so that pivoting of primary ways 25 can cause the adjacent surface of tapered reel spool 55a to intersect the surface of reel driving drum 50 at a relatively oblique angle rather than converging at a nearly tangential angle, as is customary); and (c) pivot only the primary way 25 at the front side of winder 12 towardthe secondary ways so that contact is made with drum 50 over moving sheet 70 only at band 74. After triangular section 71 has covered the entire shell 58, the primary way 25 at the back side can be pivoted slightly to bring the entire tapered rell spool 55a into rotating contact with drum 50.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise form of wide-end cam hereinbefore dew scribed and that any reel spool having differing diameters at extremities of its shell may be used with any method of bringing only the narrow part into initial contact with the surface of the reel driving drum. Furthermore, this invention can be used with a winder of the central-drive type if the motor or other rotational means for driving the reel spool causes the narrowest part thereof to rotate at a peripheral speed equalling the speed of the paper to 'be wound. Consequently, changes may 'be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which I desire to protect by Letters Patent as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A winding device for heavyweight papers, to be used in the tail method of transferring continuously oncoming paper onto an empty reel spool wherein a ring is created 8 by the tail and a spiral build-up is created by the succeeding triangular section, comprising:

a reel spool having a shell with sufiicient difference in diameter between extremities thereof to compensate for the difference in wound paper thickness created by said ring and said spiral build-up, whereby the total diameter of said reel spool after said tail and said triangular section have been wound therearound is approximately uniform between extremities there of; and

a speed control means for equalizing the peripheral speed of the narrowest portion of said empty reel spool with the speed of the oncoming paper.

2. The winding device of claim 1 wherein the empty reel spool is centrally driven.

3. The winding device of claim 1 wherein the empty reel spool has a narrow part and a wide part.

4. The winding device of claim 3 wherein the empty reel spool is peripherally driven by surface contact with a reel driving drum.

5. The winding device of claim 4 wherein said speed control means is a contact means for bringing only said narrow part into initial surface contact with said reel driving drum while the paper sheet runs therebetween, whereby a zone of neutral shear is created along said narrow part.

6. The winding device of claim 5 wherein said zone of neutral shear is located along a contact band around which said ring is created by the tail, said contact band being within said narrow part.

7. The winding device of claim 6 wherein said reel spool is a tapered reel spool.

8. The winding device of claim 7 wherein said shell of said tapered reel spool has a difference in diameter between extremities thereof of 0.30 inch.

9. The winding device of claim 5 wherein said contact means is a cam means which prevents said wide part from coming into initial surface contact with said reel driving drum.

10. The winding device of claim 9 wherein said cam means is a parallel-periphery cam which maintains said wide part at a constant distance from the surface of the reel driving drum as said reel spool is revolved around said reel driving drum.

11. The winding device of claim 10 wherein said constant distance is at least one-sixth of an inch.

12. The winding device of claim 4 wherein said speedcontrol means is a pressure-control means which exerts sufiiciently greater pressure on said narrow part, as compared to the pressure exerted on said Wide part, that said zone of neutral shear is along said narrow part.

13. The winding device of claim 4 wherein said speedcontrol means is a resilient cam means which resiliently supports only the extremity of said reel spool adjacent to said narrow part, whereby equal pressure on each extremity of said reel spool locates said zone of neutral shear along said narrow part.

14. The winding device of claim 13 wherein said resilient cam means is a cam having a resilient top surface.

15. The winding device of claim 13 wherein said resilient cam means is resiliently mounted. I

16. In the transfer of a continuously oncoming sheet of heavyweight paper to and around a tapered reel spool, the improvement in the tail transfer method when the narrowest portion of said tapered reel spool coincides with an initial narrow strip at oneside of said sheet, comprising the equalizing of the peripheral speed of said narrowest portion with the speed of said oncoming sheet.

17. In the transfer of a continuously oncoming sheet of heavyweight paper to and around a tapered reel spool which is peripherally driven by surface contact with a reel driving drum, the improvement in the tail transfer method when the narrowest portion of said tapered reel spool coincides with an initial narrow strip at one side of said sheet, which comprises bringing said narrowest 9 10 portion and said reel driving drum into surface contact References Cited of limited linear extent. NI ED TATE TEN 18. The improvement in the tail transfer method of U T S S PA TS claim 17 wherein the widest portion of said tapered reel 1248542 12/1917 P 242*65 spool is supported to maintain a surface-to-surface gap 217619'8 10/1939 Berry 242-65 of at least one-sixth inch between the surfaces of said 5 FOREIGN PATENTS widest portion and said reel driving drum while said 1 064 440 12/1953 France narrowest portion and said reel driving drum are in surface contact with said initial narrow strip running therebe- NATHAN L MINTZ Primary Examiner tween. 

